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U.S.OEPICE OF EXP?lRna51TT 
STATIONS. Special Circular, 
Forestry in Nature Study, 



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j^2io Issued September 29, 1909. 

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

U S. OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS— SPECIAL CIRCULAR. 

A. C. TRUE, Director. 



FORESTRY IN NATURE STUDY. 



ISSUED BY THE 

OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS 

IN COOPERATION WITH THE 

FOREST SERVICE. 

[GiFFORD PiNCHOT, FoRESTER.] 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 

19 9. 



LETTER OF TRANSMIITAL 



U. S. Department of Agriculture, 

Office of Experiment Stations, 
Washington^ D. G.^ Septem,'ber 1, 1909. 
Sir : I havS the honor to transmit herewith a manuscript prepared 
by the Forest Service for special distribution among teachers at tlie 
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. In view of the large interests of 
the Northwest and of the whole country in forest conservation and 
in the methods of forest replacement, and the growing interest of 
public-school teachers in these matters, it seems desirable to present 
this tentative plan of elementary instruction in the subject to the 
attention of teachers for the purpose of drawing out their criticisms 
and suggestions with reference to it. With the understanding that 
the results of such suggestions shall be embodied in more permanent 
form in future bulletins by this Office, I therefore recommend the 
immediate publication of this manuscript as a special circular of this 
Office. 

Respectfully, A. C. True, 

Director. 
Hon. W. M. Hays, 

Acting Secretary of Agriculture. 
2 



<b 






li FORESTRY IN NATURE STUDY. 



The development of forestry and nature study in this country 
has been practically contemporaneous. A generation ago little was 
known of either; to-day the one has come to occupy an important 
place in national life, the other an essential part in school life. Both, 
however, are still young in this country but growing rapidly, and are 
ever stretching out to new and wider fields — ^forestry, that all may 
realize its importance to the nation's welfare; nature study, in a 
constant search for suitable material to work upon. As a result 
of these tendencies forestry and tree study are every year becoming 
more prominent in nature-study courses, and very properly so, for 
they are preeminenth^ adapted to such use. 

Dr. Clifton F. Hodge defines nature study as " learning those 
thingfe in nature that are best worth knowing, to the end of doing 
those things that make life most worth living." The purpose of 
nature study is to inculcate a love and an appreciation for the beauti- 
ful and wonderful in nature and to train the mind to acuteness in 
observation. Few things fulfill the requirements of these definitions 
so well or contribute so fully to the accomplishment of these aims as 
does the forest. In the forest can be found a wealth of material; 
it is one of the most sublime and useful of nature's institutions; 
it is replete with myriad forms of vegetable and animal life; the 
forest itself, as a whole, is living and active; it is full of the won- 
derful and the beautiful ; it is teeming with interest at every season 
of the year ; and it is accessible to almost everyone. The forest offers 
almost unlimited opportunity for botanical study, and the tree holds 
the advantage over other plants in that it is never out of season and 
can sustain the child's interest for an indefinite time. 

"^^^lile the individual trees furnish excellent material for study, it 
is the forest as a whole, with its vital influences on the life and well- 
being of mankind, its effects upon the water, the soil, the rain and 
the snowfall and the winds, and upon the various forms of animal 
life — in short, it is the relation which the forest bears to all else in 
nature that should j^rove especially attractive to the nature-study 
teacher and the source of greatest delight and most useful knowledge. 
To interest the child in the forest is an easy task. The mystery and 
strength of the woods have always appealed most strongly to the 

3 



4 FORESTRY IN NATURE STUDY. 

child, and among the cherished tales in children's literature are the 
stories of the forests and their inhabitants. 

The outline which follows is for the most part a compilation of the 
successful experience of successful nature-study teachers. The prac- 
tical lines along which it has been evolved should merit for it a wide 
application. It is not proposed that the entire outline should be 
introduced by any one school, but that suitable portions of it be 
adapted to the needs and conditions of each school and utilized as 
part of the regular nature-study course. Field excursions and actual 
y>^ork among the trees are of far greater value than mere class-room 
exercises and add much pleasure and healthfulness to the study. 
Trips to the woods should be made in winter as well as during other 
seasons. It is in winter, when the trees are stripped of their foliage, 
that the forest best imparts its secrets. 

Particular stress should be laid upon school nurseries and planta- 
tions. It is through these that the most practical lessons can be 
learned and permanent interest awakened. Planting trees on Arbor 
Day, or on any other day, is likely to do more harm than good unless 
the planting is properly done and the trees taken proper care of there- 
after. In the school nursery the requisite knowledge and interest 
can be gained. Gathering and planting seeds, tending the little 
seedlings, establishing and caring for the plantation, and seeing it 
thriA^e under proper management, must serve as valuable object 
lessons which will leave their impressions through life. The problem 
of having the gardens cared for during the months of vacation can 
be met by the formation of a volunteer club from among the chil- 
dren for that purpose. Many schools have found that the plan works 
well with school gardens, and it should be equally successful with 
tree work. 

The Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture will gladly 
furnish, without cost, outlines of a plan for school nurseries and 
plantations, and publications for use as text-books. Photographs 
may also be found very useful in the work suggested, and these can 
be supplied at small cost. 

NATURE STUDY. 

FiEST Gkade. 
Fall Term. 

Have the cbildreu bring in autumn leaves and mount them on cardboard. 
Teach them to distinguish a few common trees of the neighborhood by their 
leaves. Have simple drawings of leaves made or have leaves cut out of paper. 

Winter Term. 

Simple lessons on the usefulness of trees in nature ; for example, they furnish 
homes for birds, animals, and man. The tree as a living thing, and as a good 
friend. Shapes of trees in sight from the school-room windows. Songs and 
stories of trees. 



FOKESTEY IN NATURE STUDY. 

Spring Term. 

General lesson on the effect of spring in tbe life of the tree. Observe in what 
order trees of the neighborhood put forth their foliage. Draw and paint pic- 
tures of leaves. Sow seeds in soil and on water, observing carefully the various 
stages of germination and growth. 

Second Grade. 
Fall Term. 

Have the children bring in seed pods, nuts, cones, etc., and mount good speci- 
mens. Trace, draw, or paint them. Show how trees are preparing for winter 
by dropping their leaves and covering their buds. 

Winter Term. 

Call attention to winter buds. Place twig, of maple if possible, in water and 
observe development of buds. The woods in winter. Stories. Pictures of 
woods in winter (snow scenes), lumber camps, sleds, sugar making, trapping. 

Spring Term. 

Development of winter buds, the coming of blossoms, catkins, leaves, etc. 
Have maple twigs brought to school. Tell how spring causes sap to flow in the 
tree. Place a twig in colored water and after a day or two split it and observe 
how the colored liquid has risen and in what part of the wood. 

Third Grade. 
Fall Term. 

Have the children bring in as many kinds of tree leaves as possible, and make 
simple classification by shape, margin, and veining. Study and paint a few 
specimens of leaves, fruit, and seed pods. Distinguish as many hardwoods as 
possible by leaves, nuts, seed pods, etc. Seed production and distribution. 

Winter Term. 

Take up the study of evergreens; pines, cedars, holly, live oak. Have twigs 
and cones brought to school. Observe cones and their structure. Stories of 
the pine tree, the Christmas tree, the fir tree, etc. Tell that evergreens are 
always covered with foliage. The needles remain on the tree for two yetirs or 
more, while new leaves appear every spring. (Silvical Leaflets 1 to 24, 26 to 
to 37, and 39. Forest Planting Leaflets 57, 60, 6.5, 67, 68, 70, 72, and 73. Forest 
Service. ) 

Spring Term. 

Study of leaf structure. Study of tree, flower, foliage, and fruit, from a 
botanical standpoint. Plant some willow cuttings in wet sand and see whether 
they will develop roots. Place twigs of different trees in jars of water and 
watch results. (Forest Service Circular 96.) 

Fourth Grade. 
Fall Term. 

Study the life of an individual tree in its most elementary aspect from the 
seed to its final use by man; its struggle for life against birds, insects, rabbits, 
frost; as a baby tree; as a mother tree; birds making their nests in its boughs. 
How a tree heals its wounds. Stories about trees. (Farmers' Bulletin 173 and 
Farmers' Bulletin 134, pp. 26-31.) 

Winter Term. 

Take up a further study of evergreens. Have drawings made of cones and 
winged seeds. Study arrangement of needles, leaves, or scales on the twig. 
Draw blackboard studies of evergreens. Show the characteristics of foliage 
and cones of different species. (See third grade, winter term.) 



6 FOEESTEY IN NATUEE STUDY. 

Spring Term. 

Draw aud color pictures of blossoms. Take trips into the woods; study the 
ground under the trees and note the structure of this forest floor; the thick 
canopy of leaves above ; the long, clean trunks ; how closely together the branches 
grow; how dark and cool it is in the forest. The forest as a whole. Begin 
to list time when seed of each species is ripened. (Farmers' Bulletin 173, 
Farmers' Bulletin 134, pp. 24-26, and Farmers' Bulletin 35S, pp. 35-37. Year- 
book Separate 329.) 

Fifth Grade. 
Fall Term. 

Begin study of the life of the tree. First the three parts — crown, trunk, and 
roots. Show the picture of the whole tree, of the root system, of the trunk. 
Observe the roots of an upturned tree in the neighborhood, if possible, or note 
root growth exposed by the cutting away of an embankment. Explain the 
office performed by each part in collecting, digesting, distributing, and assimi- 
lating food, aud in other functions of the tree's life. Tell how sap ceases to 
flow as winter approaches, and its effect on the foliage and growth of the tree. 
Reproduction; how pollen is distributed. Cut seeds open and examine their 
structure. Continue listing time of seed ripening. (Farmer's Bulletins 173 
and 134, pp. 21-31.) 

Winter Term. 

The structure and growth of the tree. The annual rings of growth. The 
inactive, strong heartwood; the weaker, active sapwood. The inner and outer 
bark and their functions in the life of the tree. Food ascends in sapwood, is 
digested in the leaves, and descends on the inner side of the inner bark. The 
medullaiy rays and their use. Show pictures of cross-sections of trees and, if 
possible, cross-sections of the trees themselves. Explain " grain " of different 
woods. Show Hough's "American Woods." Take these subjects up in connec- 
tion with woodworking. Start the class keeping records of when the different 
trees perform their various life functions; in late winter record when the buds 
begin to swell. These observations should be kept up for an entire year. Apply 
to the U. S. Forest Service, Washington, D. C, for instructions and blanks for 
recording these phenological observations. (Farmers' Bulletin 173.) 

Spring Term. 

How the tree breathes. Transpiration : Invert a glass, as a bell jar, over an 
active plant ; the moisture will condense on the glass. Trees in bloom. Ob- 
serve them in yards, on streets, in parks and woods. Study flowers of the wil- 
lows, horse chestnut, black locust, linden, maple, common hazel, cottonwood. 
Fertilization ; reproduction ; reproduction by sprouts. Record the time of burst- 
ing of buds, of blossoming, leafing out, ripening of fruit, etc., and recommend 
that the work be continued after school has closed for the summer. (Farmers' 
Bulletin 173. Forest Service Circular 96.) 

Sixth Grade. 
FaU Term. 

Resume observing time of performance of functions of tree life and collect 
data recorded by pupils during vacation. Record time of ripening and falling 
of seeds, change in color of leaves, etc. Growth and distribution of seed. Have 
a collection made of seeds of the various trees in the locality, aud placed in 
cabinet. (Forest Service Bulletin 29.) 

Winter Term. 

The tree in winter. Box elder and scarlet oak in their winter condition ; 
pines and pine forests; pine forests and forests of deciduous trees compared. 
Take class into the woods ; winter is an ideal time for seeing things in the forest. 



FORESTRY IN NATURE STUDY. 7 

Winter and Spring Term. 

The tree in the forest. Show the tree iu its relation to other trees. The 
struggle for existence. Why forest trees are tall, straight, and with limbless 
trunks. Decaying trees. Fungi. Observe the forest as a whole during win- 
ter and spring. The life of the forest. (Farmers' Bulletin 134, pp. 21-31, and 
Farmers' Bulletin 173.) 

Seventh Grade. 
Fall Term. 

Succession of forest trees. Pure and mixed forests. Conifers in sandy soils 
and on high altitudes. Deciduous trees demand better soils and more pro- 
tected situations. Trees of the tropics. (Farmers' Bulletins 173 and 358.) 
Winter Term. 

Study different kinds of wood and their uses and ranges. Collect specimens 
of woods and prepare cabinets. If possible obtain specimens, about 6 inches 
by 2 inches, one side showing quartered or radial section, another tangential 
section, and the ends cross-sections. Have each specimen labeled with common 
name, and statement of its commercial importance and uses, and of its range. 
These subjects should be taken up in connection with woodworking or com- 
mercial industries. 
Spring Term. 

Effect of forests upon climate, temperature, changes of temperature, humid- 
ity, rainfall. Forest as windbreaks. (Farmers' Bulletin 358, pp. 29-36. For- 
est Service Circular 138.) 

Eighth Grade. 

Effect of forest on fallen rain and snow: Retards evaporation and melting; 
decreases surface run-off; thick vegetable humus of the forest floor absorbs 
and holds water as a reservoir, and allows it to seep slowly into springs and 
streams; forest tends to prevent and decrease floods, and to make stream-flow 
regular. Forest takes up carbon dioxide; gives oft' oxygen; transpires water; 
fixes shifting sands. Tree roots hold soil in place and prevent erosion on 
slopes. Illustrate by photographs. Visit eroded fields and hillsides in neigh- 
borhood. (Farmers' Bulletin 134, p. 27; Farmers' Bulletin 358; Forest Serv- 
ice Circular 96.) 



APPENDIX. 



References. 

Application for publications of the United States Department of Agriculture 
named in this list except those with a price affixed, may be made to the De- 
partment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Those with a price affixed can be 
obtained only by purchase. Remittance should be made by postal money order 
(stamps not accepted) directly to the Superintendent of Documents, Govern- 
ment Printing Office, Washington, D. C. Order by title and number. 

For publications not issued by the Department of Agriculture application 
should be made to the publishers. 

In some cases the references are only of local importance, and so may not be 
of value to teachers residing outside of the regions to which the publications 
refer. 

farmers' bulletins. 

No. 134. Tree Planting on Rural School Grounds. 
No. 173. A Primer of Forestry. Part I. 
No. 228. Forest Planting and Farm Management. 
No. 358. A Primer of Forestry. Part II. 

FOREST SERVICE CIRCULARS. 

No. 26. Forest Fires in the Adiroudacks in 1903. 

No. 35. Forest Preservation and National Prosperity. 

No. 37. Forest Planting in the Sand-Hill Region of Nebraska. 

No. 41. Forest Planting on Coal Lands in Western Pennsylvania. 

No. 45. Forest Planting in Eastern Nebraska. 

No. 81. Forest Planting in Illinois. 

No. 96. Arbor Day. 

No. 99. Suggestions for Forest Planting on the Semi-Arid Plains. 

No. 100. Suggestions for Forest Planting in the Northeastern and Lake States. 

No. 105. White Oak in the Southern Appalachians. 

No. 109. Forest Planting in the North Platte and South Platte Valleys. 

No. 135. Chestnut Oak in the Southern Appalachians. 

No. 139. A Primer of Wood Preservation. 

No. 140. What Forestry has Done. 

No. 145. Forest Planting on the Northern Prairies. 

No. 150. Douglas Fir. 

No. 154. Native and Planted Timber of Iowa. 

No. 157. A Primer of Conservation. 

No. 161. Forest Planting in Western Kansas. 



FORESTRY IN NATURE STUDY. 



FOREST PLANTING LKAFLETS. 



No. 54. How to Cultivate ancl Care for 
Forest Plautations on the Semi-Arid 
Plains. 

No. 55. How to Pack and Ship Young 
Forest Trees. 

No. 56. Bur Oak. 

No. 57. Jack Pine. 

No. 58. Red Oak. 

No. 59. Eucalyptus. (Revised edition.) 

No. GO. Red Pine. 

No. 61. How to Transplant Forest 
Trees. 

No. 62. Shagbark Hickory. 

No. 63. Bass wood. 

No. 64. Black Locust. (Revised edi- 
tion. ) 

No. 65. Norway Spruce. 

No. 66. White Elm. 

No. 67. White Pine. 

No. 68. Scotch Pine. 

No. 69. Fence-Post Trees. 

No. 70. European Larch. 

No. 71. Chestnut. 



No. 72. Western Yellow Pine. 

No. 73. Red Cedar. 

No. 74. Honey Locust. 

No. 75. Hackberry. 

No. 76. Silver Maple. 

No. 77. Cottonwood. 

No. 82. Hardy Catalpa. 

No. 83. Russian Mulberry. (Revised 

edition.) 
No. 84. White Ash. 
No. 85. Slippery Elm. 
No. 86. Boxelder. 
No. 87. White Willow. 
No. 88. Black Walnut. 
No. 89. Tamarack. 
No. 90. Osage Orange. 
No. 91. Coti"eetree. 
No. 92. Green Ash. 
No. 93. Yellow Poplar. 
No. 94. Black Cherry. 
No. 95. Sugar Maple. 
No. 106. White Oak. 



FOREST SERVICE BULLETINS. 

No. 13. The Timber Pines of the Southern United States. (Price 35 cents.) 

No. 17. A Check List of the Forest Trees of the United States. (Price 15 cents.) 

No. 28. A Short Account of the Big Trees of California. (Price 15 cents.) 

No. 45. The Planting of White Pine in New England. (Price 20 cents.) 

No. 47. Forest Resources of Texas. (Price 15 cents.) 

No. 48. The Forests of the Hawaiian Islands. (Price 10 cents.) 

No. 63. The National Replacement of White Pine on Old Fields in New England. 

(Price 10 cents.) 
No. 65. Advice for Forest Planters in Oklahoma and Adjacent Regions. (Price 

5 cents.) 

SEPARATES FROM THE YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

No. 212. Forest Extension in the Middle West. (1900.) 

No. 329. The Relation of Forests to Stream Flow. (1903.) 

No. 376. How to Grow Young Trees for Forest Planting. (1905.) 

BOOKLET, NOT NUMBERED. 

The Use of the National Forests. 

PUBLICATIONS NOT ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Apgar, Trees of the Northern United States. New York. 
Brisbin, Trees and Tree Planting. New York. 
Dyson, Stories of the Trees. New York. 



10 FOEESTRY IN NATURE STUDY. 

Flagg, Year Among Trees. Boston. 

Hodge, Nature Study and Life, Chapters XXII and XXIII. Boston. 

Holden, Real Things in Nature. New York. 

Hough, The American Woods. Lowville, N. Y. 

Hough, Handbook of the Trees of the Northern United States and Canada. 

Lowville, N. Y. 
Huntington, Study of the Trees in Winter. Boston. 
Jackmnn, Nature Study for Grammar Grades. Chapters VII, VIII, and XXXI. 

New York. 
Keeler, Our Native Trees. New York. 
Lazenby, The Economic Uses of Wood. Columbus, Ohio. 
Lounsberry, Guide to the Trees. New York. 
Matthews, Familiar Trees and Their Leaves. New York. 
Macfarland, Getting Acquainted With the Trees. New York. 
Mosher, Fruit and Nut Trees. Syracuse, N. Y. 
Mosher, Our Cone-Bearing Trees. Syracuse, N. Y. 
Mosher, Oaks and Maples. Syracuse, N. Y. 
Overton and Hill, Nature Study. Chapters XIII, XVIII, XIX, XX, XXV, and 

XXVII. New York. 
Rodgers, The Tree Book. New York. 
Rodgers, Among Green Trees. Chicago. 
Roth, A First Book of Forestry. Boston. 
Sargent, Manual of Trees of North America. New York. 
Schenck, Forest Utilization. Biltmore, N. C. 
Sehwappach, Forestry. London. 

Schwarz, Forest Trees and Forest Scenery. New York. 
Snow, Principal Species of Wood. New York. 
Stokes, Ten Common Trees. New York. 
Stone and Fickett, Trees in Prose and Poetry. Boston. 

o 



MAKERS 

SYRACUSE, - N.Y. 

PAT. JAN. 21, I80B 



